Our next “geeky” category moves from spaceships and aliens to orks, zombies, gods and vampires, and we come to the Best New & Returning Fantasy Series of 2024. We saw the return of some beloved characters, some terrible mistakes by Netflix (again…), and a show make its way from animation to live-action. Here are your picks.
Best New Fantasy Series
Nominees: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Season 1 – Netflix, KAOS, Season 1 – Netflix, Legacies, Season 1 – Amazon Prime, Renegade Nell, Season 1 – Disney+, The Walking Dead: Dead City, Season 1 – Sky
Bronze: KAOS, Season 1 – Netflix
Silver: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Season 1 – Netflix
Gold Winner: The Walking Dead: Dead City, Season 1 – Sky
This year saw ‘The Walking Dead’ franchise return to the UK, with a multitude of spin-off series, but only one of them managed to land a top spot, and it was ‘The Walking Dead: Dead City‘. The rather unlikely pairing of Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) made for a wildly entertaining ride as the duo find themselves in a post-apocalyptic Manhattan cut off from the mainland. Whilst Negan is somewhat of a changed man at this point, it did allow them to bring back some “old school” Negan antics in a fun way, as the pair search for Maggie’s kidnapped son. Look out for Season 2 in 2025.
Best Returning Fantasy Series
Nominees: House of the Dragon, Season 2 – Sky Atlantic, Interview With The Vampire, Season 2 – BBC Two, Sweet Tooth, Season 3 – Netflix, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Season 2 – Prime Video, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, Season 2 – Sky
Bronze: The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, Season 2 – Sky
Silver: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Season 2 – Prime Video
Gold Winner: House of the Dragon, Season 2 – Sky Atlantic
It was Rings Of Power vs Dragons, but ultimately, the over-sized lizards won out, with ‘House of the Dragon‘, Season 2 taking the top slot. Set 200 years before the events of “Game of Thrones,” ‘House Of The Dragon’ tells the story of House Targaryen. Season two saw Westeros on the brink of a bloody civil war with the Green and Black Councils fighting for King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra, respectively. Each faction believes theirs to be the rightful seat on the Iron Throne, forcing the whole of Westeros to choose their side of House Targaryen.
It’s been solid storytelling from showrunner Ryan Condal, who commented earlier this year, that the show is likely to run for a max of four seasons. Unlike the epic main ’A Song of Ice and Fire’ plot (finished the damned book George!), ‘Fire & Blood’, on which this series is based, is a singular completed work, so only has a limited amount of story to tell. Not that it has stopped HBO from coming up with numerous other Game Of Thrones TV shows, one of which is due next year.